A Star is Born
November 14, 1956
Avi was born in Cairo, Egypt and moved with his family to Israel as a one-year old.
A Maccabist is Born
January 1, 1965
During 1965, a 9-year old Avi joined a youth team at Maccabi Tel Aviv.
First Team Debut
March 23, 1974
Avi played in his first match with Maccabi Tel Aviv’s First Team away at Hakoach Ramat Gan a match that ended in a 2:0 win thanks to a brace by Dror Bar Nur.
First Goal
May 10, 1975
Avi scored his first goal in a 1:0 win over Hapoel Hadera. In the years to come as a central defender with Maccabi he was known for his style – “Libero”.
The Israel National Team
July 19, 1976
The youngsters play in league action was noticed at the National Team level and he played in his first match against Guatemala (0:0). Over the course of the upcoming seasons, Avi would not only captain the side by also make 64 appearances and score one goal for the Blue & White.
Double
June 1, 1977
The 1976/77 brought Avi his first titles – a League Championship and the State Cup.
The most famous goal
December 2, 1978
Avi scored a goal that he will always be identified with on a volley in a 2:0 Derby win over Hapoel Tel Aviv.
Liverpool on its way
February 1, 1979
Avi’s quality was noticed by English club Liverpool and in February of 1979 the Israeli Star was invited for a trial week.
The second championship
May 26, 1979
The 1978/79 campaign was another successful one for the best player in Israel as Avi won his second league championship.
Heading to England
July 1, 1979
In July of 1979 Avi did the unthinkable and became the first Israeli to play in England’s First Division. Liverpool, the most successful club in the world purchased the defender for $450,000.
Scoring in the championship match
May 3, 1980
Avi was in the starting lineup when Liverpool won the league title at Anfield. He scored an own goal but immediately helped the club take a 2:1 lead on the way to a 4:1 win over Aston Villa to capture the championship.
European Champion
May 27, 1981
After the Israeli appeared in three matches throughout the campaign, Liverpool (without Avi in the squad) defeated Real Madrid 1:0 and captured the European Cup. Avi became the first and only Israeli to date to lift the trophy and be crowned Champion of Europe.
Second term with Maccabi
November 7 1981
During the 1981/82 season Avi retuned to Maccabi Tel Aviv and played his first game back against Maccabi Haifa in a contest that ended 0:0.
Another trophy for the cabinet
June 9, 1987
Avi won his second State Cup in an unforgettable final that went to penalties after a 3:3 draw after 120 minutes against Maccabi Haifa.
Return to the British Isles
July 1, 1987
In the summer of 1987, Avi signed with Scottish club Glasgow Rangers under Head Coach Graeme Souness who played together with the Israeli at Liverpool.
Scottish Title
October 25, 1987
During his first season with Rangers, Avi won the 1987/88 League Cup. The Israeli came on as a substitute in the final that ended 3:3 against Aberdeen and was won in a penalty shootout.
Third term with Maccabi
July 1, 1988
After a season in Scotland, Avi returned to Israel in the summer of 1988 and joined Maccabi for his third and final term with the club.
End of career
March 6, 1990
Over the course of the 1989/90 season Avi joined Maccabi Netanya as an assistant coach under Motele Spiegler which ended the illustrious career of the Israeli football star. Avi played a number of matches for Netanya during the 1991/92 campaign and then retired for good.
Death
December 29, 2010
On December 20, 2010 Avi was injured in a traffic accident when a truck hit his motorbike and on the 29th his heart stopped and left this world in a tragedy at the age of 54.
Maccabi marks his memory
March 6, 2012
The club decided to rename the Youth Department in Avi’s memory until this day.
